Demon King Sharit (2)
She dreamed.
A dream of something from very long ago.
Perhaps several hundred years past.
A human who had stormed all the way to the Demon King's Castle was pointing a sword at Us, utterly ignorant of his place.
"Y-You… are you really the Demon King?"
But the man seemed somehow flustered upon seeing Us. He stared hard at Our face for a long while, then his gaze stopped at Our chest, and he hastily averted his eyes.
What on earth was the meaning of that behavior just now?
When We looked at him curiously, the man shouted as if fumbling for words.
"H-Hurry up and answer! Are you really the Demon King or not!"
"…? Yes, We are the Demon King. And who might you be?"
"I am the Hero. Leader of these vile demonkin! I will cut you down and restore peace to the continent!"
Hero — We had faced countless humans, yet this was a word We had never heard before. Perhaps a being who represented humanity? Much like this body seated here.
Then it made sense. That man was a warrior who had come to kill Us on behalf of humanity. In that case, it would be proper to treat him with corresponding courtesy.
However, there was a matter to address first.
"Hero, does this land belong to your kind?"
"What?"
"If one traces history, it was We demonkin who first existed upon this land. So how can it be called peace for the continent that you live and We perish? What is your basis for that claim?"
"W-What……"
The history of the demonkin is as long as their lifespans. Roughly two thousand years, give or take. Humanity's history, however, spans a mere few centuries at best. Their lives are far shorter still. It means that long before they established nations beneath this land and formed a single race, We had already existed for ages.
Yet the Hero seemed unable to accept Our words.
"Don't talk nonsense! Do you know how many people have died because of you!?"
"We understand that you, too, have slain nearly a thousand of Our subordinates."
"That's because you bastards attacked us first!!"
Well, who told them to build a nation right beneath Our land? Had they simply stayed in the south, there would have been no need to invade.
We pointed a finger at the floor and asked.
"Then let Us ask one thing. How many ants have your kind crushed underfoot?"
"What? What's this all of a sudden……"
"You also kill insects and hunt beasts for food, do you not? How do you explain that?"
The Hero flared up.
"How dare you compare mere beasts to humans!?"
"Yes. That is precisely what We wish to say."
"…What?"
"That is exactly the relationship between your kind and Ours."
We informed him calmly. At first the Hero wore an expression of incomprehension. But soon his face turned bright red, and that expression twisted into rage.
"Come down at once! Demon King!! I'll split you in half with this sword!!"
"Very well. We shall face you presently."
The Hero gripped his sword tightly, waiting only for Us to descend. Seeing that, We suddenly changed Our mind. It was far too distant for Us to rise from this seat and walk down the stairs to where that man stood.
"However, you are far too weak. Regrettably, you are not worth Us descending that far."
We closed Our eyes gently and called out softly.
"Argon."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
At Our call, one among the demonkin surrounding the Hero stepped forward. He was the weakest among the Demon King's army officers.
"That man is the representative of humanity. So teach them their place."
"I receive your command!"
Argon, having sworn his loyalty, stood before the Hero. Then the Hero, looking as if he had suffered some insult, swung his sword with a snarl — and the match did not last even ten seconds.
Slash—
The Hero was torn in half by Argon. We watched the spectacle languidly, chin propped on Our hand.
"…Send that one's corpse to the humans."
A man who stirred neither emotion nor interest. That was Our first impression of the one called Hero.
And it was the same for the Heroes who came after.
"I am Mirchel, the Seventh Hero! Receive my blade!!"
"Luxen, the Eighteenth Hero. I'll take your head."
"I am called Arsi, the Seventy-Ninth Hero. Demon King, prepare yourse—"
—Slash.
The corpses of Heroes who could not even scream were scattered across this Demon King's Castle. Even so, those who managed to reach Us were only those few. Most, it was said, died before ever meeting Us.
In the end, so-called representatives of humanity amounted to only that much. Before long, We felt no value in them at all.
Thus hundreds of years passed, and another who called himself Hero came.
Silver hair and blue eyes. And a mole near his eye.
"Which number Hero are you?"
"What, punk?"
That was how he answered Our question, utterly indifferent. Whatever else, this Hero had not a shred of manners.
"That bastard dares insult Her Majesty!"
"Your Majesty! Allow me to split that cur in half myself!!"
"No, I'll kill him!"
The demonkin surrounding the Hero glared at him in outrage. However, Our thoughts were different. We wished to speak with him a little longer.
We kindly explained about the Heroes who had come thus far.
"The Heroes who seek Us out invariably introduce themselves by which number Hero they are. So We ask again. Which number are you?"
Perhaps it was pride in being a Hero, and a show of respect to their predecessors. Useless formality though it was, We did not particularly dislike it. Hearing it allowed Us to roughly gauge how much time had passed in the outside world.
But even after hearing Our words, the Hero yawned as he answered.
"Haaawn. Dunno, punk."
"What did you say?"
"Do you actually count that crap one by one? Eh, roughly around a hundred or so."
"……"
This Hero was, how to put it, somehow off. But perhaps because of that, an alien atmosphere radiated from him. Already, his skill was different from any Hero We had seen before.
In the end, instead of calling Argon, We rose from Our chair.
"Y-Your Majesty!?"
He who had been waiting for Our usual summons looked at Us in panic. Come to think of it, was this the first time? Rising from Our seat to face a Hero.
"Shh."
We brought a finger to Our lips and quieted the demonkin. There was nothing to gain by needlessly provoking the Hero. We simply descended the stairs slowly.
Step… step……
The demonkin held their breath and watched. The Hero, too, waited in silence. Only Our footsteps could be heard.
Step.
And at last We stopped before the Hero, and we faced each other.
The Hero looked at Us and soon smirked.
"Whoa. Way more of a beauty than the illustrations I saw."
"Illustra……?"
"Sorry about this. If it weren't for me, you'd have lived another ten years."
"? What do you mean."
"Just. My humble condolences for the deceased."
How insolent.
"Indeed. We heard you well. Your last words."
"Ha. Look who's talking."
Shing.
The Hero drew his sword from its scabbard. Indeed. Facing him directly, We could tell.
If We had not come down, they all would have died.
Thud!
We too drew the Demonic Sword and drove it into the floor.
"You are the first. Among all the Heroes, the first We face personally."
"And I'll be the last."
"…Your name."
"Roughly the hundred-and-somethingth Hero. Kyle."
"Heh heh."
He actually made Us laugh. How long had it been since We last laughed like this? Looking around, the demonkin too wore expressions of surprise.
"We are called Sharit."
"Right. Want that carved on your tombstone?"
"Hmph. Come."
With that exchange ended, we charged at each other in an instant—
BOOOOM!
With a tremendous roar, our two blades collided.
Yes. That day was Our first meeting with the Hero Kyle.
Having failed to settle the match there, We later led Our army personally to the Empire to seek him out. That was the second and final battle with the Hero Kyle……
"…And to think We would actually lose."
Waking from the dream and collecting herself, Sharit muttered as if lamenting. The demonkin attending her called out desperately.
"Y-Your Majesty. You've awakened!"
"Thank goodness you've come to!!"
"Heh heh. How nostalgic."
Yet the moment she woke, she was turning over the dream she had just had. A worthy rival she had never once met in thousands of years of life. To think it would be a mere human, not even a demonkin.
She recalled the moment of her defeat and wore a bitter expression. After all, everyone who had faced Us until now had died. For Us to lose to a Hero and still survive…
"…We should have died there as well."
"W-What are you saying, Your Majesty!"
"That's right! Shouldn't we take revenge on that Hero bastard!"
A third fight. Would that even have meaning? Humans, with their short lifespans, grow at a rate that defies imagination. Having failed to settle the first battle, We lost the second. By the next meeting, he would have grown even further.
To grow even stronger than that… Imagining it, she let out a hollow laugh inwardly.
Heh heh. Frightening, yet also exciting.
She wanted to cross blades with him once more. Thinking that, she found herself looking forward to meeting the Hero again.
"Yes. As you say, We must live and meet him once more."
"That's right! Your Majesty!!"
"Next time, Your Majesty will surely be victorious!"
The demonkin cheered, never doubting her victory — of course, without knowing that her thoughts were elsewhere.
"I'm back!"
Just then, a demonkin who had been out on reconnaissance returned. He had pulled up a hood and infiltrated the village below to buy food and bandages. But that was not all. He looked somehow pleased and excited.
The scout immediately delivered the good news to the Demon King who had regained consciousness.
"Y-Your Majesty! Good news!"
"Yes, what is it?"
Could support troops have already arrived? Then We could reorganize at once and go meet the Hero Kyle again. Just as a smile was about to form on her lips at that thought—
"I just overheard the humans in the village below talking — they say the Hero is dead!"
"…What?"
For a moment, it felt as if time had stopped. She was certain she had misheard and asked again. But the demonkin answered even more brightly.
"The Hero! They say that Hero bastard is dead!!"
She shot to her feet. The instant she heard those words, Sharit rose from her place, forgetting even the pain. The demonkin panicked and tried to stop her, but she did not hear them.
"What on earth are you talking about?"
She only asked again.